


(Graveyard) Ends of the Earth

by NoxNoctua



Series: Halloween 2020 [3]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Bittersweet Ending, Halloween 2020, Hiking, M/M, Mountains, idk how to do tags sorry everyone, nox's 13 days of spooky pain apparently, spooky story, wildflowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:33:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27359587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoxNoctua/pseuds/NoxNoctua
Summary: How far would you walk for your most important person?Would you go to the ends of the earth?Anthony J. Crowley is on a mission and he's already walked miles.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Halloween 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1992094
Comments: 15
Kudos: 26
Collections: Racket’s 13 Days of Halloween





	(Graveyard) Ends of the Earth

**Author's Note:**

> For RacketGhost's [13 Days of Halloween](https://racketghost.tumblr.com/post/628733325157302272) prompts. I'm definitely not finishing these on the day but I'm still doing them!
> 
> Thank you to my two beta readers: [NaroMoreau](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naromoreau) and [LTRisBACK](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ltrisback).

Anthony J. Crowley is on a mission.

“To the ends of the earth,” he mutters to himself, glancing down the scarp to the right of him. Up ahead, advancing in elevation and curving around to the left, the trail continues on towards the peak of the mountain.

The sky is a bright blue this time, sheer wisps of clouds drifting slowly by in the gentle breeze. A wind floods up and over the ridgeline, crashes back down the other side of it, rustling the trees in its wake like an oncoming tide.

Anthony closes his eyes and inhales deep through his nose, exhales out through his mouth. He rolls his neck, his shoulders, adjusts his pack, and continues onward. Rusted quartzite is turned loose in the dirt trail under his feet and perhaps in different circumstances, this might be something he would have to be mindful of. His circumstances aren’t different though, they aren’t quite normal either, and this is what? The fifth trail he’s walked? No. No. The number is far greater than that.

“To the ends of the earth,” he huffs out. 

The thing about this trail is that despite its significant elevation gain, it is long, making the approach gradual. But it is still  _ significant  _ and Anthony thinks, again, that under different circumstances that would be something worth being mindful of. His circumstances aren’t different though, and they aren’t quite normal either, and this is what? The twelfth trail he’s walked? No. No. The number is far greater than that.

He continues slow and steady, both hands gripping the straps of his pack, and follows the trail around the bend, up and over the hill. Over his shoulder to the right, down successive grassy slopes and over the switchbacks, the valley opens up. It is deep and in its belly Anthony can see other hikers slowly working their way up, he can see the highway, curling like a snake, and cars carefully driving around those narrow twists.

Trees stand in the pools of their own shadows. The sun is directly overhead and Anthony thinks that in different circumstances that would be something worth being mindful of.

He makes his way around the bend, around the little hill that the trail hugs, where it empties out into a wide grassy field. There are wildflowers here, a smattering of color like spilled confetti. They sway gently in the breeze. Behind the field is the escarpment of the rising mountain, a collection of wheat-colored dry grasses and rusted rock.

“To the ends of the earth,” Anthony says to himself with a smile.

The field of grass and wildflowers is a hotbed of life. Beetles and other quick flying things hop between the tall blades and the short flowers, pausing for a rest before bouncing up into the air again. It is like some kind of improvisational ballet, an expression of life and all the unexpected angles of that long riding road. Anthony allows himself the brief thought of how nice it would have been to picnic here.

Anthony thinks that in different circumstances that would be something worth being mindful of.

“To the ends of the earth,” he says to steady himself.

The trail edges the field, scooping around it in a wide arc. Further on and he knows the summit is in reach, with another valley ahead of it, and in that valley is a lake. He’s not interested in lakes. 

Anthony adjusts his pack and looks around, looking for movement of the human variety. Perhaps a bit of flustered human movement but he can’t be certain. Just understands he’ll know when he sees it.

There is a man walking slow and steady up the hill towards the lake. Anthony’s breath hitches and he takes off into a run, unencumbered by rusted quartzite turned loose in the dirt.

“H-hey! Hello there! Wait up!” Anthony calls out and the man stops and slowly turns.

Anthony knew he would know when he saw it and he’s seen it and he knows. Despite his assuredness, his certainty, he is still knocked breathless by that light blonde hair and those bright blue eyes, made impossibly clearer by the bright sky overhead. The man looks at Anthony with a questioning expression but it breaks on his friendly smile, breaks on straight white teeth.

Anthony is almost rendered speechless because how long has it been since he’s seen Ezra last? This is what? The fifty-fifth trail he’s walked? No. No. The number is far greater than that.

Ezra tilts his head and raises both eyebrows. There is sweat on his forehead and his face is flushed but he otherwise looks completely unruffled for having navigated this same path so many times.

“Hello, my dear fellow! A gorgeous day for a hike, isn’t it?” Ezra says in that warm and posh way of his. His smile has worked its way to his eyes, they scrunch up good-naturedly.

Anthony is almost blown away by it. Ezra’s voice sounds clear as crystal, like a bell. It has been so long since he’s last heard him speak that he wonders if the carillon he hears is his imagination or a reminder to not get lost in this reunion. That he is on a mission.

“To the ends of the earth,” he mutters.

“I’m sorry, I couldn't quite make that out?” Ezra asks, face all open and curious and beautiful. Fucking beautiful.

Anthony swallows and gestures out towards the field. He also begins to slide his pack off his shoulders. “Don’t suppose you’re thirsty? Also, bit of a shame to not check out the field, yeah? Care for some company?”

Ezra is puzzled, clearly puzzled, but he’s also got this air about him like he’s just floating through all of this. Completely oblivious but still so completely open and lovely. Just so fucking lovely.

He nods and accepts the water bottle from Anthony, takes a drink from it, and smacks his lips appreciatively. “My, I  _ was  _ quite parched, wasn’t I? Whatever would I have done if you hadn’t found me, my dear boy?”

Anthony feels a chill in his spine. It starts in the middle and spiders it’s way up and down him, like two opposed lightning strikes. How long has it been since he’s heard that from Ezra? How many trails has he walked before this?

He’s lost count.

_ ‘To the ends of the earth,’ _ Anthony had promised himself, so long ago.

“You would have been very bored, that’s what. I’m great company. Come on, let’s go. Into the flowers.” Anthony gestures to Ezra to follow and steps out of the trail and into the field, into the flowers. Ezra looks out at him hesitantly, stares down at the trail’s border where rocks have shuffled off to the edge and formed a tiny wall, where the tall grass and the short flowers bend gently across the threshold and shudder in the breeze.

Ezra steps beyond the trail and into the field, into the flowers. Anthony swallows nervously and holds his hand out to him. Ezra takes it and it is everything in Anthony’s resolve to not bundle him tight into his chest and never let go.

There’s no time for that. Not right now, at least.

“You know,” Ezra says, a bit lazily, as he follows Anthony into the field, “I feel like I’ve been on this trail for quite some time. The mountains rather have that way about them, don’t they?”

Anthony nods tightly. “Y-yeah. They do.” He almost calls him ‘angel’ but he doesn’t because the finale is in sight now. He can see, just a little bit further up, near the back of the field, a long, oval relief in the tall grass and short flowers.

When they reach it, Anthony steps between Ezra and the patch of disturbed field. He cups Ezra’s face in both his hands, holds him steady there. Anthony’s face is a pained grimace and Ezra only looks perplexed, perplexed and open and divine.  _ Fucking divine. _

“Ezra,” Anthony sees recognition flash across his features and just as quickly gone, “to the ends of the earth. Always. Forever.” And he steps out of the way, steps beside him.

They move in lockstep. Anthony knows what he will see in that patch of dirt. He doesn’t look. He can’t bear it. Besides, he has to watch Ezra instead because this is the important part. This is the key.

He’s walked how many trails now?

Doesn’t matter. This is the last one.

Ezra peers down into the crumpled up tall grass and short flowers and sees the laid-out body of a man with light blonde hair. His eyes are closed. There is no color in his face and no breath that moves his chest.

“Is that me?” He sounds drugged.

Anthony takes his hand and squeezes tight. “It is.”

“How long have I been here?” 

“For at least one-hundred trails. Maybe more. I’m not sure.”

Ezra is slow to move like he’s trying to run through mud. He looks at Anthony. His clear blue eyes are glassy and his smile is wobbly. “And what now?”

Anthony cannot resist any longer and he takes one step forward, crushes Ezra up into his chest, and wraps his arms around him completely. He feels hot tears on his shoulder.

“We’ve walked enough trails alone. Can we walk together this time? To the ends of the earth, you and I?”

Ezra chokes back a sob. He does not look up, keeps his head buried in Anthony’s shoulder. “Yes. Oh please,  _ yes.  _ Oh, how I’ve missed you, my dear. My darling. My love. I have missed you  _ so much.” _

Anthony smooths Ezra’s errant curls down with his hand. “I know, angel. I know. Shh.” He swallows and it hurts. “Are you ready to go now? It’s time.”

Ezra lifts his head up to look at Anthony and smiles. His smile is still wobbly but at the edges of it are glee. Glee and joy. Anthony can see it in his eyes, the way they scrunch up.

“To the ends of the earth, my dear?” Ezra asks with a bright smile and straight teeth.

Anthony manages some kind of crying laugh and nods. “To the ends of the earth, angel.”

They loop hands together, adjust their packs, and continue to walk the field, towards the far end of it, where the mountain continues to rise up and out of the earth and towards the heavens.

**Author's Note:**

> I'M SORRY.
> 
> Also, this story went about through four different permutations before Lord Huron came on and I completely changed the PoV of this story from Ezra to Anthony. Unlike the end of [Lord Huron's Ends of the Earth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MH-UmYkXiM), these two walk off into the sunset together.
> 
> Also also, this is based off the Lake Catherine via Brighton trail I hiked in Utah. It was the last one I trekked before moving away. It's beautiful and if you'd like to see some photos I took, hit me up on [tumblr](https://noxiraphale.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
